GBeCS grads embrace the 'road less traveled'

EXETER — Gratefulness was the dominant emotion for the graduating seniors at Great Bay eLearning Charter School during Wednesday evening's commencement ceremonies.

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By Aaron Sanborn

seacoastonline.com

By Aaron Sanborn

Posted Jun. 6, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By Aaron Sanborn

Posted Jun. 6, 2014 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

EXETER — Gratefulness was the dominant emotion for the graduating seniors at Great Bay eLearning Charter School during Wednesday evening's commencement ceremonies.

Student after student who spoke on stage at the Tuck Learning Center shared stories about how they struggled in school until they found a home at the Exeter charter school.

Graduate Amy Schultz said that she never imagined that she would graduate high school when she was a sophomore. Schultz said she learned differently than others and never felt right at school.

"For me the right environment is everything," she said.

Schultz said Great Bay was the first school where she felt at home and as result, she started to come out of her shell both academically and socially. She said she was able to let go of her insecurities and excel at new things.

"The students and teachers helped me realize what I was capable of," she said. "I was able to let the brick wall around me fall.

Graduate Benjamin Belanger said he struggled to fit in at other schools but once he got to Great Bay, he felt like he could be himself and didn't have to fit into in clique to be "cool."

"Sometime when you try to act cool, you're not cool at all," Belanger said.

He said classmates at other schools who bullied others showed him exactly who he didn't want to be as a person.

"If you're a bully, you're not welcome here at GBeCS because bullying is not cool," he said.

Other graduates shared similar stories about previously struggling in school but finding a home at Great Bay.

"Coming here showed me what it's like to be a real team-player and a part of a community," said graduate Devyn White.

Brooke Gatchell said attending Great Bay opened up a number of doors for her, including attending the Seacoast School of Technology, where she took part in the culinary arts program and had a chance to compete in the SkillsUSA competition.

"It's true — anything is possible — you can be whatever you want to be," she said.

The school's co-executive director, Peter Stackhouse, told the graduates that like the poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost, they have already taken the road less traveled by coming to Great Bay. However, he stressed that life will present them with much more than two roads, and it's OK to have a change of heart.